steve's redemption is because of his feelings for nancy wheeler. like, steve even says this, he thanks her for it, its written in canon that he changes bc of her. its not reducing his arc to say this or makes the changes he went through any less genuine. if it was ONLY for her then after they broke up he would've gone back to his old self, but he doesn't.
Idk why people refute or argue against this, it does not make steve's character arc any less impactful, love driving change is not #cringe. People are inspired by others all the time which starts development, steve admires that nancy genuinely cares for others and it inspires him to do the same, makes him regret his actions. sorry that people think attributing it "for a girl" is oversimplifying it but to dissmiss it simply bc YOU think it reduces it to "nancy being a prize to be won" (which it doesn't ) is simply Not True.
